Alliance
by liggytheauthoress
Summary: Team Lightyear must team up with their biggest rivals, Team Rocket, to defeat the newly formed Anti-Galactic Alliance. To complicate matters, Mira Nova must figure out her feelings towards Rocket Crocket. R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**_ I noticed there weren't any Mira/Rocket fanfics (probably because my sister and I are the only two people on this planet who ship this couple), so I decided to be a rebel and write one. Lots of thank yous to the BloSC Wikipedia page, which provided me with a surfeit of info on the various backstories from the show. Please R&R!_

**Disclaimer: **_**I don't own Buzz Lightyear of Star Command or any of the individual people/items therein. Oh well. Wait, I own the name Amar Krillian, though I don't own the character (he's that cool Asian ranger with the ponytail). And there are a couple of "Other Characters" that belong to me. At least that's SOMETHING.**_

**~1~**

Ranger-Princess Mira Nova stirred, waking slowly. For a moment, she forgot where she was – she most certainly wasn't in her bunk at Star Command.

"Oh, right," she muttered, sitting up. She was in her bedchamber in the Royal Palace on Tangea. She'd arrived late last night, just in time for her father's birthday. Royal birthdays were always a big event on Tangea. Every last Tangean noble was invited for a huge, three-day celebration.

Mira hadn't really wanted to come, but she had to be there, for several reasons. For starters, it _was_ her father's birthday, and as a member of the royal family, she was expected by everyone to attend. Her only excuse for not coming would have been if Team Lightyear was busy.

They weren't. Things at Star Command had been exceedingly slow and dull for the past couple of weeks, and Team Lightyear had been given furloughs. Booster had gone home to Jo-Ad, to visit his family. XR was enjoying the sun, sand, and surf on Mahamba 6, with his girlfriend, 42 (the two bots had recently made up). And Buzz was on Karn, of all places, with – of course – Dr. Ozma Furbanna, his fiancee.

Yawning, Mira rose and glanced down at her nightgown. She missed her ranger suit. This dress felt flimsy and thin. It wouldn't stand a chance in a firefight.

She ghosted out into the hallway, narrowly avoiding a collision with . . . someone she never would have expected to see in the Tangean Royal Palace.

"_Rocket?_" Mira exclaimed, backing up a step. "What . . . Why are you . . . What are you doing here?"

Ranger Rocket Crocket – leader of Team Rocket, Team Lightyear's greatest rivals – replied, "Commander Nebula wanted a few non-Tangean rangers here, to represent Star Command. So he sent my team."

"Why didn't he send _my_ team?"

Rocket shrugged and eyed Mira's nightgown. "Don't think I've ever seen you without your ranger suit on."

Mira flushed self-consciously. "Well, I wasn't exactly expecting you see you here."

"So, do all Tangean royals walk around in their pajamas when they're at home, or just you?" Rocket asked.

"We don't make a habit of it. I guess you just got lucky," snapped Mira sarcastically. With that, she turned and ghosted back into her room, glad that it had no doors (King Nova had installed some doors for the convenience of non-Tangean visitors, after some rather messy business with the renegade Lord Angstrom). Huffily, she slumped on her bed, ignoring the fact that it wasn't exactly proper posture for a Tangean princess.

"Why did the Commander have to send _Rocket's_ team?" Mira grumbled to herself, folding her arms and staring sulkily out her window at the countryside. "Any ranger would have been preferable to _him_." Idly, she wished Nebula had sent someone like Ranger Petra. The two girls had become good friends during Petra's training.

But Petra was currently on the ski resort planet of Sitka 7, on her honeymoon. She and Plasma Boy had tied the knot only two days ago.

_Seems like everyone is hooking up these days,_ Mira thought. In addition to Petra and Plasma Boy, Buzz and Ozma, and XR and 42, Booster was spending time with his childhood sweetheart, Babster (though it couldn't really be described as dating), and there was a rumor that Commander Nebula and Madame President were seeing each other, although that rumor hadn't been officially confirmed.

It was as though almost everyone in the known universe had been bitten by the love bug, except for Mira.

_I wonder if Rocket is seeing anyone,_ thought Mira, than dismissed the thought as quickly as possible. She didn't care at all if Rocket Crocket was dating anybody. He could go jump in a lake, for all she cared. Why had she blushed before, in the hall? She didn't care what he thought.

Mira stood up and quickly got dressed, slipping on a maroon gown, again yearning for her suit. Dresses always got in the way. You couldn't do anything in them except stand around, looking fancy and being useless.

She hesitantly stuck her head out into the hallway, quickly looking back and forth. After reassuring herself that Rocket wasn't out there, she ghosted out of her room and went to have breakfast with her father.

* * *

Commander Nebula strode into Mission Control and promptly demanded, "What the blazes is goin' on in here?!?" He glared at the three LGMs playing a game of poker with XL – XR's brother, the photocopier/fax machine – and the Commander's desk. "Why aren't you workin'?"

"Sorry, Commander," said the three LGMs in unison. The desk sheepishly backed up a bit.

"Aw, come on, Pop," said XL. "Nothin' is goin' on around here. No emergencies, no planets in distress . . . We got bored."

"Work is never boring!" Nebula retorted with his characteristic loudness. "Now get back to your stations!"

The LGMs scurried to their spots, while XL and the desk quickly left.

Suddenly, an alarm started blaring at one of the computer terminals. The LGM sitting there said, "Trouble on Capital Planet!"

Nebula read the information on the monitor screen. "The Galactic Alliance Senate Chamber is being invaded by hornets?!? I thought security there was supposed to be extra-tight today, what with the 10th Annual Galactic Senate Conference going on." He immediately opened his wrist-com and tuned it into the frequency of Amar Krillian, an Asian ranger who was the head of Team Krillian. "Krillian! What's goin' on down there? Security is supposed to be air tight!"

"I'm sorry, Commander," said Amar, looking apologetic. "But Star Command's two best teams aren't here. Without Team Lightyear and Team Rocket, we're in trouble!"

Nebula rubbed his temples. "I'll get in touch with Team Lightyear. Ranger Nova and Team Rocket are staying on Tangea – our relationship with the Tangeans has been rocky lately, and I don't want to make things worse by interfering with their cultural traditions. Can you hold the fort til backup gets there?"

Amar nodded. "No problem, sir."

"Good."

* * *

Mira spent most of the morning avoiding Rocket. She was sitting on a doorless terrace – which only Tangeans could access – sketching (one of her hobbies), when her wrist-com flickered to life. Booster's image appeared. "Booster, what's up?"

"Buzz, XR, and I have to report to Star Command immediately," Booster said.

"Why?"

"Some hornet problems at the Senate Chambers on Capital Planet. Commander Nebula wants his best rangers there."

"I'm on my way," said Mira, getting to her feet.

"Actually, the Commander wants you to stay on Tangea," Booster told her, looking uncomfortable.

Mira's eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"He said something about not wanting to interfere with Tangean traditions."

Mira made a wry face, thinking, _So, I'm stuck here while my team is fighting Zurg? Thanks, Commander._ She always got sarcastic when she was angry.

"What about Team Rocket?" she asked suddenly. "Are they being called back?"

Booster shook his head. He said, "I gotta go. See you later." His face vanished.

"Ugh!" Mira exclaimed to herself. "This stinks!" She glared sulkily at her sketches and ghosted into the palace, where she promptly ran into – guess who? – Ranger Rocket.

"That's the second time this has happened today, Nova," said Rocket with a crooked grin on his face and a glint in his eye. "You'd think someone with powers like yours wouldn't have this kind of trouble."

"Sorry," Mira mumbled.

"Got the message from Star Command, huh? About us being left out of the action at Capital Planet?"

"Yeah, I got it. I can't believe that Commander Nebula would do this to us. It's not as if you or I have to be here. This is a birthday celebration, not a major 'Tangean tradition'. Unbelievable! I hate having to sit out on all the exciting missions."

What was _really_ unbelievable, Mira realized, was that she had just spilled her guts to Rocket Crocket, of all people. Another example of what stress and frustration did to people.

Rocket was watching her with an infuriatingly amused expression on his face. Mira scowled at him and sauntered away, fists clenched. What had possessed Commander Nebula to send Team Rocket? Any other ranger would have been preferable to Rocket.

Whenever Mira was frustrated, there was always one thing that made her feel better. She went to the palace launchbay and hopped onto the nearest hovercycle.

The wind whipped through Mira's long, red hair as she zoomed along above the trees. She knew of a special spot a few miles away from the palace, a place that only one other person knew about.

_Don't think about that_, she told herself. She had promised herself that she would never think about him again . . .

Romac.

The relationship would never have worked out. She was a royal, he was a Tangean grounder. Anyway, she would never know if they would have worked out, because Romac had been destroyed by Zurg a year ago . . .

No, Mira wasn't destined for romance. She didn't really mind. She was a natural tomboy and could take care of herself.

And yet, whenever she thought of Buzz and Ozma or Petra and Plasma Boy, she felt strangely empty. As though she was missing something in her life.

She reached the small forest clearing and landed the cycle. Mira leaped off and sat down on a boulder on the side of the small stream that ran through the woods. She yanked off her uncomfortable shoes, submerging her feet in the cool, clear water.

_**What'd ya think? I'm still not sure if I'm gonna finish this . . . If I get lots of good, encouraging feedback, I'll probably continue on with the story. So, if you want to read more of the Mira and Rocket saga, let me know! :D**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Well, people have been saying they like this, so here's chapter two! Oh, yeah, *sighs* I don't own Buzz Lightyear of Star Command in any way, shape, or form, and, as many of you should know by now, I hate disclaimers.**_

**~2~**

Mira sighed and viewed herself in the long mirror hung on her bedroom wall. Since the birthday celebration began that night, she'd changed into a fancier gown, a floor-length, dark green affair with flowing sleeves, way off the shoulders. Although her personal maid had wanted to do her hair, Mira had insisted on leaving her hair down, and it flowed over her shoulders in crimson waves. A golden circlet atop her head completed the ensemble.

She looked completely unlike a space ranger. Mira was counting the days until she could return to Star Command and forget about gowns and jewelry. It was such a waste of time.

King Nova ghosted into the bedroom. "Ah, Mira," he said as she turned around. "You're ready. You look lovely."

Despite the fact that she and King Nova argued consistently, Mira loved her father. She kissed him on the cheek. "Happy birthday, Father."

He held out his arm, smiling. "Shall we?"

Mira placed her arm on his, and together they left of the room.

The throne room was packed with Tangean nobility. _Where's Rocket?_ Mira thought, looking around. She felt suddenly surprised with herself. She didn't want him to be there at all, right?

Right?

The celebration was already in full swing. A few of the King's advisors gave speeches, and the King himself said a few words of thanks to all of the guests. Mira had been asked to make a speech, but she had declined – public speaking wasn't her strong point.

Mira scanned the room several times. She wondered exactly what she was looking for, then realized, with a start, that she was still looking for Rocket. What was wrong with her?

* * *

Ranger Seth Serenold – the Verdentian who was Team Rocket's second-in-command – found Rocket in his room. "Sir, aren't you coming to the celebration?" Seth asked. "After all, that's why Commander Nebula wanted us here . . ."

"I'm not feeling well," Rocket lied. In truth, he didn't feel like facing Mira. He had asked the Commander to send a different team to Tangea, but the request had been denied. He . . . he didn't feel comfortable around the princess anymore. He felt awkward and uneasy. It was bizarre.

Seth remained in the doorway. "The rest of the team's waiting for you, sir."

Rocket sighed. "Okay, I'm coming."

Team Rocket ventured down to the throne room, Rocket lagging behind. Most of the Tangeans ignored him – they weren't fond of "puny-brained offworlders", as they put it. Rocket didn't care.

He looked about the room and caught sight of Mira. Rocket stared.

She looked . . . well, _different_. Of course, she always looked different when wearing a dress – Rocket was so accustomed to seeing her in a ranger suit – but she looked especially different tonight. She stood out amongst her fellow Tangeans.

Rocket felt a sudden surge of warmth towards the princess as he watched her talking animatedly with a couple of young Tangean girls. Suddenly, she looked up, saw him. He forced himself to look away.

_I've gotta be losin' my mind_, Rocket thought. _That's the only explanation for the way I feel right now._

Mira unexpectedly began walking towards him. Rocket felt panicky, than shook the feeling off. He stood his ground as the princess reached him and asked, "I wondered where you were, Rocket." She blushed suddenly. So did Rocket. "I mean," Mira continued awkwardly, "I, uh, just thought that, er . . ." She trailed off and gazed down at her feet.

"Yeah," Rocket said, equally awkwardly. They both stared at one another, each of them racking their brains for something to break the embarassing silence.

A young Tangean lord came over, asking, "Princess Mira, may I have this dance?"

Glancing at Rocket, Mira said slowly, "I'd be delighted." The gentleman took her arm and led her to the dance floor. Rocket was left behind. He watched Mira twirling gracefully around the hall. She was beautiful . . .

Then it dawned on him.

He was falling in love with Ranger-Princess Mira Nova.

It was way too much for his brain to take. Rocket turned and tried to navigate through the crowd, in the direction of the door. He needed to find someplace where he could be alone, think things out. He couldn't be _in love_ with Nova, could he? It was absurd, wasn't it?

Wasn't it?

Suddenly, there was a deafening crash. Everyone in the hall looked upwards at the same time.

Hornets were flooding in through a giant hole in the ceiling!

There was instant chaos. Tangeans were rushing left and right, trying to ghost out of the hall as fast as possible. Unfortunately, since they were all attempting this at once, nobody was having much success.

Rocket quickly located the other members of his team. "Get the royal family to safety," he told Seth. "The rest of you will stay here with me and hold the fort."

"Yes, sir," said Seth, already running in the direction of the king's throne.

The rest of Team Rocket wasted no time in kicking some serious hornet butt. Rocket fired off laser shot after laser shot with expert precision.

He was suddenly distracted by Seth running up to him and exclaiming, "Sir, I can't find the princess!"

"What?!?" Rocket yelled back over the din of exploding hornets. "She must be here!"

"Well, she isn't!"

"Then find her. Find the princess and get her and her father out of here!"

As Seth dashed away, a voice behind Rocket said, "The _princess_ has a name."

Rocket turned. Mira was standing behind him. She had somehow managed to get her hands on a blaster, and was looking very fierce and determined. "I figured you could use an extra ranger," she declared, atomizing a hornet at the same time.

"Okay." Rocket knew it was useless to argue with the princess when she got like this, so although his brain was screaming at him to keep her away from here, he was fully aware that Mira could look after herself.

The rangers stood there in the throne room, firing blast after blast at the invading hornets. But after about ten minutes, the attack stopped. The hornets who hadn't been blasted yet turned tail and zoomed out of the palace.

Mira lowered her blaster cautiously. "Why did they leave?"

"Dunno. I guess they figured they weren't getting past us anytime soon," Rocket said. "Good shooting, princess."

She nodded, then said, "I have to go make sure my father is okay."

Rocket watched her go, then forced himself to stop looking at her. _I am NOT falling in love with her!_ he thought fiercely. _No way is that ever gonna happen!_

He went to round up his team.

_**I admit, I got a little mushy in this one . . . Sorry if Rocket is OOC at all, but you really don't see enough of him on the show to get a feel for his personality. As always, read and review!**_

**Aleine Skyfire: **_**Glad you like it! It's great to get positive feedback from someone who ISN'T a Mocket (hey, I just invented a new name for this couple, cool!) shipper.**_

**Queen S of Randomness 016: **_**POOF! Your wish has been granted – I updated! I hope I finish this, too. **_**;)**


	3. Chapter 3

_**Sorry for taking so long to update! Things got kinda hectic around here, what with Christmas and New Year's and my two best friends coming alllll the way from Washington to visit for a week, and I'm also having trouble with school, so THAT'S totally screwed up my schedule . . . As always, read and review, please?**_

_**BUZZ: Well**_

_**ME: What?**_

_**BUZZ: Forgetting something, aren't you?**_

_**ME: No, I refuse to say it!**_

_**BUZZ: Say it! *points laser at me***_

_**ME: All right, fine, have it your way. I do not own any part of BLoSC.**_

**~3~**

Mira strode down the corridor and sighed in contentment. It was good to be home at Star Command again. She looked down at her ranger suit fondly.

She reached the briefing room and entered. The other members of Team Lightyear were already seated at the table, and she smiled. She was glad to see them again. Buzz, Booster, and XR weren't just her fellow team members – they were her family.

Suddenly, she also noticed another team sitting across the table from Team Lightyear.

Who else? Team Rocket.

_Ugh, can I please get away from him for just two seconds? _Mira thought, taking her place beside Buzz. It wasn't that she didn't _like_ Rocket. Well, she didn't, really, but she also felt very awkward around him. The feeling of discomfort had gotten worse lately. She didn't know why, though, and that irritated her.

Commander Nebula stood at the head of the table, arms folded behind his back, looking stern and gruff, as always. He cleared his throat and said, "Now that we're all here, let's get down to business."

He pressed a button on the table, and a chart appeared on the screen behind him. It was a map of the galaxy, with several planets outlined in red. The Commander continued speaking, "In the past week, we've received reports of hornet attacks from five different planets: Capital Planet, Rhizome, Shragorak, Bathyos, and Tangea. The hornets attacked each planet once, but their targets varied. They attacked the Galactic Senate, and the Tangean Royal Palace, which makes sense; Zurg is usually after royalty or senators. But on the other three planets, the attack sites were usually marketplaces or residential districts – not exactly places where the bigshots of the planet would hang out." Nebula sat back down at the table and rubbed his temples. "There's neither rhyme nor reason to it!"

"So, what's the assignment, sir?" Buzz asked.

Nebula looked around the table at the rangers assembled in front of him. "You guys are the two best teams Star Command has ever had. Now, I'm not psychic, but I can tell this mission is gonna be a tough one. You're all gonna have to work together."

"Define 'together', Pops," XR said.

"Well, I hate to be critical, but Team Lightyear tends to have more brains than Team Rocket. But Crocket, you and your team are better than Team Lightyear when it comes to the actual fightin'. With Team Lightyear's brains and Team Rocket's brawn, we oughta be able to kick Zurg's behind into the next galaxy."

_PLEASE tell me he's kidding! _Mira thought, exasperated. _I am NOT working with Rocket Crocket. I'd rather marry Fop Doppler and give up being a ranger._

* * *

"So, when we get to Trade World, what say we stop in at a little place I know that serves top quality, high octane oil?" XR looked up at Mira hopefully.

"I think I'll pass, XR," Mira replied, looking straight ahead as the two of them walked. "Oil's not exactly my thing."

They reached the cockpit of 41 – Rocket's ship. Frustrated, Mira thought to herself, _What are the odds that _I_ would get picked to work with Rocket on this mission? It's not fair. I can already tell what's gonna happen. We're gonna spend all our time arguing with each other and we'll accomplish absolutely nothing._

There was Rocket, sitting in the pilot's seat, his back turned to Mira and XR. Rocket's navigator, Rayvix (from the planet Shragorak), was also at his post, plotting a course for Trade World.

Mira took a deep breath, strode forward, and silently sat down in the co-pilot's seat. She made a point of not looking at Rocket, though she could feel his gaze. She cleared her throat and said, in a business-like tone, "We'll be ready to go in a few minutes, sir."

"Sir? Never thought I'd hear you say that to me, Nova." Rocket sounded amused.

Mira shrugged. "You outrank me." Truth be told, she hated addressing Rocket as "sir" – she rarely called Buzz "sir" – but, unlike Buzz, she felt uncomfortable using Rocket's first name. She felt uncomfortable talking to him, period. In order to take her mind of everything, Mira concentrated on starting up the ship, performing a last minute systems-check to make sure everything was working properly.

"Would someone fill me in, one last time, on what our assignment is, exactly?" said XR.

Rocket replied, "Go to Trade World, find Crumford Lorak, and see if he can tell us anything about what Zurg's got up his sleeve."

"I hope you brought lots of cash, then," XR stated. "And what are Buzz and Booster gonna be doin' while we're interviewing the criminal underworld?"

"They're going to monitor Zurg space and see if they can learn anything," said Mira, fastening her seatbelt. "If you ask me, I think we've got the softer job."

"Easily the softer job," Rocket said, nodding. "All systems go?"

"All systems go," Mira replied, still not looking at him. Sighing quietly to herself, she thought, _I am never gonna make it through this mission_.

_**Sorry if it's short! Hopefully, I'll have the next chapter posted soon!**_

**Queen S of Randomness 016: **_**Another wish granted!**_

**Gurz:**_** Yeah, I'm surprised I haven't seen any Zuzz fanfics yet. Glad you like this so far, and I'm glad you think it's a nice change of pace!**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Eesh, sorry for taking so long – AGAIN – to update. I have a really bad procrastination problem . . . Well, here is the next chapter in the Mira and Rocket saga. Hope people are still reading it . . .**_

_**Oh, yeah. Idonotownbuzzlightyearofstarcommand. Stupid disclaimer.**_

**~4~**

Rocket yawned and checked his watch. 0300 hours. He hadn't gotten much sleep that night, partly because his cramped, seedy motel room wasn't very comfortable, and partly because he'd been thinking about Mira Nova all night.

What on earth had made Commander Nebula put the two of them on the same team? Rocket knew that he and Mira were about as incompatible as you could get. Their personalities were too similar for them to get along well. They both had hot tempers, were extremely stubborn, and often reckless. Neither of them could resist a dare or challenge. They both had trouble thinking before acting.

Sighing, Rocket rolled onto his side, the lumpy mattress poking into his ribs. There was another Mira-related reason for his inability to sleep – they had gotten stuck sharing the motel room. By the time their ship had docked on Trade World, most of the motels were closed, so they settled on staying at the first open one they came to. Unfortunately, only one room had been available. Being in such close quarters with Mira was inordinately awkward, and Rocket was totally unable to relax.

The room had two beds. Mira – being the only girl – had gotten one. Rocket offered the other to Rayvix, who declined, saying he would crash in the armchair in the corner of the room instead. The Shragorakian seemed to be able to sleep anywhere, and was snoring soundly. XR was positioned beneath the room's one window, in 'sleep' mode. He was snoring, too. Apparently robots were able to do that.

_I'm obviously not gonna sleep tonight,_ Rocket thought. He should try to sleep – it was going to be a long day, since Crumford Lorak wasn't the easiest person to find. Still, Rocket knew when he was beat, so he quietly got out of bed, wincing as the bedsprings squeaked. He got into his ranger suit and gave another sigh, glancing around. The motel room was too confining. He needed to get outside, clear his thoughts. But it was pouring heavily outside – as it had been doing all night – so he was stuck indoors.

Stuck indoors with the ranger-princess he was falling in love with.

He acknowledged that fact openly now. He was definitely falling in love with Mira, no question about it. But now he was in the middle of a furious dilemma. Should he tell Mira about his feelings?

Rocket dismissed that idea as soon as it came into his head. He could never tell her, never tell anyone. Ever since they had met, almost two years ago, they had been bickering and arguing. It was obvious that Mira didn't like him very much. She could never return any feelings of affection.

He sat down on the foot of his bed and rubbed his temples. His head was aching from lack of sleep. For the millionth time that night, he checked his watch. 0315 hours. It would be a long time before the others woke up. Rocket sighed yet again and stared at the floor.

* * *

"Get up, XR, come on." Mira tapped the front of the robot's helmet. "It's not like you even need to sleep, now get up."

XR slowly activated himself, his eyes blinking and finally turning on. "Why do we hafta get up so early?" he muttered.

"When was the last time we didn't have to search half of Trade World for Crumford Lorak?" Mira said. "It's going to take a while to find him."

"Any ideas on where we should start?" Rayvix asked, directing the question towards Rocket.

"Well, I know he hangs around at a certain bar. 'Dom's Place', I think it's called. Not far from here. He might not be there today, but it's as good a place to start as any."

"Wonder how many unibucks it's gonna take us to make Lorak talk this time," XR remarked as they left the motel room. "The guy never comes cheap."

* * *

"How much longer is this gonna _take_ us?" XR whined. "We've been at this all day!"

The group had failed to find Crumford Lorak at "Dom's Place", but they had spoken to the bartender, who had suggested another bar a few blocks away. From that bar, the rangers had gone from one place to another without success, and were beginning to feel like they had visited every bar, saloon, and seedy tavern in the city.

"Shut up, XR," Mira snapped. She was feeling very tired and crabby.

The ever-patient Rayvix calmly said, "I'm sure we'll find him soon." This was the seventh time he'd said this in the past three hours. Mira envied Rayvix's invulnerability to frustration.

Rocket suddenly stopped, shading his eyes from the sun with one hand. "What is it?" Mira asked.

"Hang on . . ." He pointed with his other hand. "Isn't that, well, Crumford Lorak up there?"

They all looked. Mira immediately recognized the hunch-backed, red-haired scam artist. "That's him, all right. Unbelievable. We've been looking for him all day, and all of a sudden he just _shows up_!"

They approached him. Lorak looked wary and held up his hands defensively. "Rangers? Listen, I didn't do anything, you got the wrong guy . . ."

"Relax, Lorak, we aren't here to arrest you," Rocket assured him. "We need information."

Lorak's beady eyes glinted. "What kind of information?"

"What's Zurg up to?" Mira asked, getting ready to shell out some unibucks.

"Zurg? Up to? Haven't got the faintest idea."

Mira started to pull out her wallet, but before she could open it, Rocket had already handed Lorak a pile of cash. He gave her a look that said, _"Relax, I got it covered."_

Lorak counted the cash. Stuffing it into his pocket, he said, "Word on the street is that Zurg has gathered together all the major criminals in the universe into one group. I'm talking about the biggies. Gravitina, Nos-4-A2, you get the idea."

"But those guys _hate_ each other," XR observed. "How did Zurg manage to get them all together?"

"Dunno." Lorak shrugged. "But I know he's calling it the 'Anti-Galactic Alliance'."

"What about all the random hornet attacks?" Rocket asked. "What's Zurg playing at?"

"Dunno that, either."

"Look, Lorak, if you're holding out on us-"

Mira's sentence was cut short by the sounds of explosions, screams, and various crashes coming from around the block. A minute later, a group of hornets zoomed around the corner, surrounding the group from Star Command.

Rocket immediately took over. "Rangers, assume defensive positions, now!"

The four rangers formed a circle, facing outwards, and began blasting away with their wrist lasers.

Mira flinched as one of the hornets fired and hit XR square in the chest. The robot immediately blasted into several pieces. Mira dodged XR's head, which rolled across the street and was promptly stepped on several times as a swarm of people ran over him, eager to get away from the hornets. "Little help, here?" XR's head called. "I'd like to get out of the way before another stampede comes by!"

"Coming!" Mira continued to blast at the hornets as she made her way to the robot's head. She picked it up and tossed it into the nearest trash receptacle, saying, "You'll be safe there til the fighting is over!"

"Thanks," came XR's voice.

On the other side of the street, Rocket and Rayvix were blowing up hornets as fast as they could. One of the hornets rammed into the side of a building and exploded.

There was a sudden _crack!_ as the building shuddered. One of the metal beams that supported a balcony on the top floor broke loose and plunged towards the ground. With horror, Mira noticed that Rocket was standing right beneath it.

She propelled herself across the street and slammed into Rocket, knocking him out of the way just as the beam hit the ground. They both rolled a couple of feet before coming to a stop.

They got to their feet, panting, and stared at each other for a split second. Then, remembering they were in the middle of a battle, they sprang into action again, taking down every hornet in sight.

Without warning, the hornets suddenly stopped firing at the rangers and sped away, disappearing into the smoggy sky.

Rocket gazed at Mira, looking like he was about to say something. She immediately said, "We'd better contact Star Command," and went to receive XR's head.

_**Hopefully I finish Chapter 5 soon!**_

_**REVIEW REPLY:**_

**Gurz: **_**I had to throw XR into the mix, somehow – he's my favorite character. And it appears that you are psychic – there was indeed a hornet attack on Trade World. :D**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Whoa, Chapter 5 up already. Didn't think I'd finish it that quickly. Must be the reviews – they've been very encouraging! :D Thanks to everyone whose reviewed this so far, and please, keep commenting, cuz I love it!**_

_***mutters* I don't own Buzz Lightyear of Star Command . . . blah, blah, blah . . . *makes face***_

**~5~**

"I, the Evil Emperor Zurg, call this meeting of the Anti-Galactic Alliance to order!"

Seated around the long, metal table in Zurg's dark, sinister Plotting Chamber were the members of the Anti-Galactic Alliance. Zurg sat in a huge throne at the head of the table. Warp Darkmatter sat on his right, and Gravitina on his left. The other members sitting at the table were as follows: the Raenoks, Varg and Kleev; Nos-4-A2; Torque; Norbert Klerm (who had been hired as the AGA's treasurer and financial advisor); and the Gargantian militants. Together, they formed quite a motley crew.

"According to the brainpods, we are nearly finished with Phase One of Operation Chaos," Zurg continued. "Soon, we will be ready to launch Phase Two. And then, Phase Three! And then I, Evil Emperor Zurg, shall rule the Universe!" He stopped speaking for a moment and broke into a short fit of maniacal laughter.

When Zurg had finished laughing, Warp said, "So, we'll be launching our attack on Star Command soon?"

"Within forty-eight hours," replied Zurg, steepling his fingers and leaning back in his chair. "Everything is going according to plan." He allowed himself another brief evil chuckle before continuing on with the meetings' discussion.

* * *

"Come in, Mira, this is Buzz."

Mira was sitting in the motel room, playing Gin Rummy with XR, when Buzz's voice came through on her wrist-com. She flipped it open and said, "I'm here, Buzz. Any developments?"

"Negative. We've been monitoring Zurgspace for almost three days. Nothing to report. We're heading back to Star Command to check in with Commander Nebula. What about you, make any progress on Trade World?"

"Yeah, actually. Crumford Lorak says Zurg has formed some kind of committee called the 'Anti-Galactic Alliance' – apparently it's made up of all the major criminals in the universe. Doesn't know anything else, though. Oh, there was a hornet attack here, too."

Buzz sighed and shook his head. "These hornet attacks just don't add up. They never kidnap anyone, they never steal anything . . . All they do is appear, randomly blow a bunch of stuff up and cause general confusion, and disappear again." He shook his head again. "When are you leaving?"

"Rocket wants to stay here for another day or two, see if we can find any more leads." Much to her annoyance, Mira felt herself blushing involuntarily when she said his name.

Buzz nodded. "OK. See you back at Star Command. Lightyear out."

Mira closed her wrist-com and turned back to her cards. For what seemed like the hundredth time, XR quipped, "Look, I know you were under a lot of stress, but did you really have to throw my head in a trash can? Is that all I am to you? Garbage?"

"Do you really want an answer to that question?" Mira replied.

XR was silent.

Rocket and Rayvix came into the room (they had gone to get takeout from the nearest fast food restaurant, as well as a fuel station – XR had to eat, too). Rocket tossed XR a can of oil and sat down on one of the beds. "Food's here."

"Hey, Rocket, could you do me a favor?" said XR. "Next time we're in a firefight and my head gets blown off, could you please ask Mira _not_ to throw it into a garbage can? Do you have any idea how bad it smelled in there?"

"As I recall, you wanted me to put you in a place where you wouldn't get trampled," Mira said as she took the food that Rayvix proffered to her.

"Well, _yeah_, but I didn't mean a _garbage can_."

"Be more specific next time."

XR began muttering under his breath (**A/N – "breath" being a relative term, since I don't think robots needs oxygen . . . Oh, well**). Mira and Rocket caught each other's eyes and grinned at each other, amused by XR's quiet ranting. Mira suddenly felt odd. _This is so weird,_ she thought. _Rocket and I are actually, well . . . getting along. We aren't fighting. How bizarre can you get?_

* * *

Later that evening, Mira announced that she was going for a walk.

"Wait, I'll come with you," Rocket said, standing up.

Mira arched her eyebrow. "Why?"

Rocket looked sheepish. "Uh . . . Trade World can be a dangerous place at night – or in the day, for that matter. You probably shouldn't go walking alone." He knew full well that Mira could take care of herself in pretty much any situation, but he wanted to talk to her – alone, without Rayvix or XR (especially XR) within earshot.

Looking dubious, Mira said, "OK. Fine."

They left the motel and walked down the sidewalk in silence, both of them feeling awkward and unsure. Finally, Rocket decided to break the silence and said, "I, er . . . I wanted to talk to you."

"And you had to leave the motel to talk to me because . . . ?"

"Because I wanted to talk to you _alone_."

Mira stopped walking. So did Rocket. She looked him straight in the eye and asked, "What did you want to talk to me about?"

Gosh, why did her gaze make him feel so tongue-tied? Rocket gulped, and said, uneasily, "I . . . uh, I just . . . I wanted to thank you."

"For what?"

"Saving my life during the hornet attack. If you hadn't pushed me out of the way of the beam, I don't think I'd be here right now."

Mira gave him a small smile that made his heart leap. "Anytime," she said.

_**This fanfic is turning out to be waaaay longer than I thought it would. I hope you all stick around til the end!**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Another chapter! I'm on a roll here. Sorry about this chapter being so short. It's kinda boring, because it has NO "Mocketness" in it, but it helps advance the plot, so I sorta kinda had to put it in.**_

_**Don't own BLoSC.**_

**~6~**

"So, what did Mira say?" Booster asked as Buzz docked 42 in the launching bay. "Did they make any progress on Trade World?"

Buzz related to Booster all that Mira had told him. Beside Buzz, in the co-pilot seat, Seth Serenold remarked, "Glad to hear that Mira and Rocket haven't killed each other yet."

"I admit, I _was_ a little worried when Commander Nebula paired the two of them off," Buzz said as they left the cockpit. "Nobody dislikes Rocket more than Mira does."

"Well, maybe they'll finally learn how to get along during this mission," said Dawn Magnum (the fourth member of Team Rocket).

"Not likely," Buzz said.

They immediately reported to Commander Nebula and told him that they had learned nothing while monitoring Zurgspace. Buzz also repeated what he had heard from Mira. Nebula stroked his mustache thoughtfully. " 'Anti-Galactic Alliance', huh? I don't like it. Normally, all those criminals wouldn't get along, but Zurg must have found a way to get them to cooperate. How . . . ? And for what purpose?"

"Don't forget about the hornet attacks, sir," Buzz said. "What reason could Zurg have for those?"

Nebula sighed, feeling a headache coming on. "Well, hopefully, Mira and Rocket and the others will pick up some more information before leaving Trade World."

Suddenly, a huge explosion rocked the whole space sation. An alarm started blaring. Ty Parsec burst into Nebula's office. "Sir, we're under attack!" he shouted. "It's Zurg!"

Nebula grabbed the microphone on his desk and yelled into the intercom, "Battle stations, everybody! We are under attack! Repeat, battle stations!"

"Come on, team, move!" Buzz shouted, dashing out of the room. Booster, Seth, and Dawn fell in behind him.

At the end of the corridor, they turned the corner and ran into Varg and Kleev, both holding large, menacing clubs. Varg swung his club and knocked Dawn and Seth to the ground. Buzz and Booster managed to dodge Kleev's club, and Buzz turned back to help the fallen rangers. Seth exclaimed, "No, leave us! Get a message to Rocket and Mira!"

Buzz nodded and took off down the corridor with Booster. "We've got to get a message to Trade World," Buzz said as they ran.

Booster glanced over his shoulder, "Uh, Buzz, if you're planning on sending a message, you might want to do it soon. Kleev is right behind us!"

The Raenok leader was giving chase, and rapidly gaining on them.

Still running, Buzz opened his wrist-com and said, "Mira, come in, this is Buzz! Mira, come in! We have an emergency!"

Mira's face appeared on the screen. "Buzz! What is it, what's happening?"

"It's Zurg. He's attacking Star Command. We need you-"

His sentence was cut short as Kleev bashed him over the head with his club. Buzz sunk to the ground, unconscious. Before Booster could react, he had also been knocked out.

"Buzz? Buzz?" Mira's voice continued to come in over the wrist-com. "Buzz, what happened? Buzz!"

She received no answer.

_**AGAIN, sorry it's so short! Keep the reviews coming! 3**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Sorry to leave everybody in suspense! I've been having more school problems, and I don't really feel motivated to do much of anything these days, and I'm seriously hating tenth grade right now, and- Why am I telling you guys, like, my life story? Sorry, sometimes I get carried away.**_

_**ANYWHO. Chapter Seven now up!**_

_**Can't come up with a witty disclaimer, so I'll just say I don't own Buzz Lightyear of Star Command. Yah, I'm boring. Sorry.**_

**~7~**

"Did he tell you _anything_ other than that?" Rocket asked for the fifth time.

"No. He just said that Zurg was attacking Star Command. Something . . . something happened to him before he could say any more." Mira shuddered. "I'm worried."

XR started wailing. "Oh, poor Booster! Poor Buzz! Captured by Zurg and subjected to who knows what?!? Glad we weren't there." He said the last sentence in a normal tone of voice.

"What are we going to do?" Rayvix said quietly.

"Head back to Star Command and bust everyone out of there," Rocket answered.

"What? Are you crazy?" Mira exclaimed. "There's four – _four_ – of us against all the biggest criminals in the galaxy! We wouldn't stand a chance!"

"Well, what do _you_ suggest, Princess?"

Mira bristled, the way she always reacted when someone called her that. Glaring at Rocket, she said, "Go for help."

"Where? All the space rangers have been captured! There's nowhere to _go_ for help!"

"There must be _someplace_ . . ."

"Where did you have in mind? Maybe we could get all the tofu-heads from Rhizome to throw veggies at Zurg. Or maybe we could get your father to use his superior mind powers to help us. Oh, wait, he'd probably be on Zurg's side, since you can't be a ranger if there's no Star Command."

"Leave my father out of this," Mira snapped.

"Fine. Where _do_ you propose to go for help?"

"I . . . don't know."

Rocket looked smug. "Didn't think so."

"Well, it'd be stupid to just go in there, guns ablazing. We'd be captured in three seconds flat!"

"It'd be even stupider to just sit here and do nothing!"

"GUYS!" Rayvix roared. Mira and Rocket both looked at him in surprise – such an outburst was most uncharacteristic. "Arguing won't save Star Command," the Shragorakian continued in a softer voice. "For the time being, can't you just shove aside your differences and concentrate on the problem? Please?"

Rocket and Mira looked at each other. They remained silent for a long time. Finally, Rocket held out his hand. "Truce?" he said, hesitantly.

Mira took a deep breath and bit her lip. Slowly, she took Rocket's hand and shook it. "Truce."

They jumped as there was a nearly-blinding flash. XR sheepishly held up his camera. "Sorry," he said. "Just documenting this momentous occasion for my scrapbook. Honestly, never thought I'd see the day when you two agreed on something."

Mira and Rocket couldn't help laughing. Then they turned serious again. Mira said, "Okay, I guess trying to find someone to help us is out of the question, but we can't just launch an all-out attack."

"I suppose you're right." Rocket sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Still, we can't just _sit_ here."

"I've got an idea," Rayvix said. "What if we sneak back to Star Command in 41's escape pod – it's too small to show up on any radar – and infiltrate the facility. We can secretly free the rangers, since Zurg is probably keeping them locked up somewhere in Star Command, and launch an attack from the inside."

"That . . . might actually work," Mira said.

"Let's do it." Rocket held out his hand, palm down. Rayvix placed his hand on top of Rocket's, and Mira placed hers on Rayvix's. XR looked reluctant, then put his hand on the top of the pile.

"Come on team," Rocket said. "We got a galaxy to save."


	8. Chapter 8

_**Yes, I KNOW I took forever to post chapter eight – SORRY! We were finishing up school at my house, and I also got writer's block cuz Mira and Rocket just WEREN'T doing what I wanted them to do in this chapter (it's their fault, not mine) . . . You get the idea.**_

_**Don't own BLoSC. Disclaimers suck. Blah blah blah.**_

**~8~**

Mira grunted as XR elbowed her in the waist. "Watch it," she grumbled.

"Sorry. It's not like I can help it. There isn't much room in here, y'know." XR squirmed around, trying to make more space for himself.

"Hey, XR, don't jar my arm like that again," Rocket snapped. "I'm driving here."

The four of them had been stuffed inside 41's escape pod for five hours, and they were beginning to feel like a bunch of sardines. The pod was really only meant for one person, two in an emergency. Instead, there were two people, a robot, and a large, bulky Shragorakian all piled into one tiny vehicle.

"We'd better get to Star Command soon . . ." Mira had run out of patience an hour and a half ago.

"We will. ETA, about twenty minutes," Rocket assured her.

"So, let me just review here, before we get there," said XR. "We sneak in through one of the waste disposal vents, then go into the ventilation system, split up, and look for the other rangers. Did I get all that right?"

"One-hundred percent correct," Mira said.

"Okay. I like it. Except for the splitting up part. I'd rather, y'know, stay together. After all, there's strength in numbers."

"We'll find the others faster if we split up," said Rocket.

"Am I gonna get blown up again?"

"You won't get blown up, XR." Mira was exasperated – she was in no mood to deal with XR's whining.

"But I _always_ get blown up. It never fails. We run into the bad guys, there's a firefight, I get hit in one of my MILLION vulnerable spots, I blow up into dozens of pieces, and I just lay there like an idiot until the fighting is over and the LGMs get a chance to put me together again."

"Shut up, XR . . ."

"Mira, if you throw my head in a trash can again, so help me . . ."

"I won't throw your head in a trash can again. I promise. Okay? Get over it."

XR glared at her and remained silent.

Rocket suddenly said, "There it is. Star Command."

They all watched the station become bigger and bigger as the pod got closer. Mira fidgeted in her narrow seat. This was it.

* * *

They docked the escape pod in the maintenance bay and opened the nearest hatch to the ventilation system. "All right. XR, Rayvix, you first," said Rocket. "When you get to the first junction, go to the right."

"Aye, aye, chief," XR said, climbing into the shaft. Rayvix clambered in after him.

Rocket looked at Mira. "Nervous?"

Mira cocked her head at him and narrowed her eyes. "Don't make me laugh. Bring it on."

"Well, then, after you." Rocket gave her an exaggerated bow and gestured to the opening in the wall. Mira rolled her eyes and climbed in. Rocket followed. Up ahead, Mira could hear XR and Rayvix crawling down the shaft.

She reached the first junction. "Turn left," Rocket whispered.

"I know." Mira turned.

They crawled in silence for several minutes. Eventually, Rocket spoke up. "Hey, Mira?"

"Yeah?"

"Um . . . This is gonna sound kind of wrong, but . . . Why did you save my life on Trade World?"

Mira stopped crawling and stared back over her shoulder. "What kind of a question is that?!?"

"I didn't mean it like that, I just . . . I mean, you and I don't exactly get along, y'know? I would think that you'd be happier with me de-"

"Would you shut up? Yes, we don't get along. Yes, we argue pretty much all the time. But I've never once wished you _dead_. I wouldn't wish that on anyone, not even Zurg himself." Mira was glad the air shaft was almost pitch black – that way, Rocket couldn't see her turning red.

Rocket was also blushing. Meekly, he said, "Sorry."

"Hey, don't worry about it."

They lapsed into silence again, until Rocket started talking again. "Y'know, we haven't been arguing as much as usual."

"Hmm?" Mira replied without halting.

"Ever since we were put on this mission together, we've been . . . almost getting along. I mean, we've had a couple of little spats, but nothing like we used to."

"You complaining?"

"No. It's kind of . . . never mind." Rocket had been going to say "nice", but had thought better of it. This wasn't really the time to start that kind of discussion.

"Kind of what? What were you going to say?"

"Nothing. Forget it."

"You've been acting really weird lately. What's bothering you, Rocket?"

He bit his lip, unsure of how to reply. He could either confess his feelings and get it overwith, or he could make up some other excuse for his odd behavior of late.

_Might as well get it out in the open_, he thought. Taking a deep breath, he said, "Mira, I-"

"Shh!" Mira cut him off. She was looking down through one of the ventilating grilles. "I found them. The rangers are all down here – storage room, it looks like." Raising her voice slightly, she called, "Buzz! Commander Nebula, sir!"

Rocket heard Buzz's voice coming from below. "Mira? What the blazes are _you_ doing here?"

"Trying to rescue you, of course." She turned and looked at Rocket. "This grille's welded into place, but I think I can ghost us both through."

He nodded, and tried to ignore the spark he felt as Mira wrapped her arms around his waist and called on her powers. Then they were falling through the air, and they landed, rather roughly, on the floor of the storage room.

"You two are a sight for sore eyes," Nebula remarked as Mira and Rocket stood up.

Mira went to the door. "How many guards are out there?"

"At least three. Maybe more," Buzz told her.

She shrugged. "I like the odds," she said, and ghosted through the door before anyone could stop her.

Rocket heard the sounds of a scuffle coming from outside. There were several short, loud blasts, and the sound of metal being blown apart. A moment later, they heard the door unlock, and Mira swung it open, looking pleased with herself. "Let's go, rangers," she said with a mischievous grin. "We got an evil emperor to stop."

The rangers filed out of the room, stepping over the remnants of not three, but five, hornets. Mira had done her job well.

They made their way to the nearest weapons locker without being detected. Buzz cocked the blaster in his hand and said, "Okay, people. Let's kick some Zurg butt."


	9. Chapter 9

_**Ummmmmm . . . yeah. How to explain my horribly unforgiveable lack of updating on this fic . . . OK, so waaaay back in May, I became stricken with a typical case of that horrific disease known as writer's block. And then the computer with all my fanfic notes (yes, I keep notes for fanfics, I'm really anal about details like that, okay?) died. My friend, Kyle (a computer genius) and his dad have just gotten around to picking up the computer in order to fix it, so I figured I'd wait until we got it back to finish this fic.**_

_**But I decided to use our other computer to try and make some progress, cuz I really have no actual excuse for waiting THIS LONG to update . . . To any readers who HAVEN'T given up on me: THANK YOU for being so patient and not spamming my email with reviews like "HURRY THE **** UP AND FINISH THIS!!!!!" I **_**promise **_**to try and be a tad more consistent in the future.**_

_**I don't own BLoSC, which is prolly a good thing, because if I did, and I had writer's block, the show probably wouldn't have lasted long . . .**_

**~ 9 ~**

"I just know I'm gonna get blown up again," XR muttered to himself. "Sometimes I wonder why I do this job. Lots of risks, lousy pay, no healthcare coverage . . . I should be doing something worthy of my numerous talents. Hey, Rayvix, do you think I'd make a good male model? I mean, I'd have to tone up a little, but I think I could-"

"Come in, XR," came Mira's voice over the wrist-com.

Sighing, XR answered, "Yeah, what's up?"

"We've found the rangers, now we're on our way to Zurg. You and Rayvix will rendezvous with us on Level Two, Section Gamma, got it?"

"Okay, okay, on our way." XR closed the wrist-com.

"We'd better exit the ventilation system – we'll move faster that way," Rayvix said.

"Yeah, I'm just itching to leave the relative safety of this vent and walk around in the open, where there's bound to be hornets and guards and-"

"XR . . ." Rayvix was beginning to get impatient.

"I know." Stopping at a grille, XR activated his built-in screwdriver and opened it. "Well, after you, partner."

Rayvix heaved his bulky self out of the shaft. XR hesitated, sighed, grumbled, "When this is over, I'm definitely gonna ask for a raise," and lowered himself out of the vent.

They began moving cautiously down the corridor. Rayvix whispered, "Keep an ear out for hornets."

"Don't worry, with my impeccable hearing, I'll detect anyone who comes within a thousand yards of us."

A second later they turned a corner and found themselves face-to-face with about three dozen hornets.

"Oops," was all XR said.

The multitude of hornets parted, and Warp Darkmatter came striding up. "Well, well, well, what have we here? Looks like we missed a couple rangers while we were cleaning up the trash."

"The trash? Oh, I just realized, I forgot to put my garbage out for the sanitation men – today is Monday, right? Well, better go do that before they get here." XR turned around to leave, but found his path blocked by a dozen more hornets. "Still I suppose the trash can wait . . ."

Warp looked amused. "The Emperor will probably want to know how you escaped detection. Come with me."

* * *

Mission Control had, apparently, been converted into a throne room for Zurg. Grubs and brain-pods scuttled about, and a group of the universe's most wanted criminals was spread out across the room. Nos-4-A2 licked his lips at the sight of XR, who pretended not to notice. Varg and Kleev were arguing over who had the better club. The Gargantian militants were apparently doing some drills, and Torque was arm-wrestling himself. Norbert Klerm was playing games on his computer, while Gravitina amused herself by intermittently lifted Norbert's chair into the air and spinning it around.

Zurg himself sat in a large throne at the end of the room, barking orders at his minions. He stopped as he saw XR and Rayvix being brought towards him. "Ahh, I see I have guests," he said, standing up. "Good evening, rangers. I must say, I'm quite surprised to see you here." He looked at Warp and bellowed, "HOW DID THEY MANAGE TO ESCAPE?!?!? You said you had ALL the rangers LOCKED UP AND UNDER GUARD!!!"

Still maintaining his characteristic laid-back expression, Warp said, "Look, there're a lot of rangers at Star Command, we might've missed a couple . . ."

"Well, actually, we weren't here when Star Command was attacked," XR said. "See, four of us were sent to Trade World to-"

"Shut _up_, XR," Rayvix muttered.

"Hey, I'm trying to be helpful and get on his good side," XR muttered back. Rayvix rubbed his temples as XR continued to talk. "Say, your Evil Emperorness, may I just say that I really admire your off-the-wall way of scheming? I mean, this plan of yours is brilliant, just brilliant, it's . . . What is your plan, anyway?"

XR hadn't been sure if Zurg would take the bait, but he did. Zurg sat back down in his throne and said leisurely, "Well, I suppose I can tell you, since it's too late for you to do anything about it. No doubt you've been wondering why my hornets have been attacking random planets, for seemingly no reason."

"Well, it had crossed my mind . . ."

"It is the first phase of my plan. A plan so insidious and diabolical that it scares even me. A plan I like to call 'Operation Chaos'!" Zurg paused for dramatic effect, waiting to see his audience's reaction.

XR and Rayvix's expressions remained totally deadpan. Disappointed at the lack of response, Zurg continued, "The first phase of my plan was to send out my hornets in no pattern at all, for no reason, thus confusing the heck out of Star Command and putting it off its guard. With Star Command confused, I – with my powerful team of supervillains – could attack Star Command and take over. Which I have done. This brings me to the final phase of my plan."

Another dramatic pause. XR and Rayvix still didn't react.

Grunting a little, Zurg said, "Using Star Command's weapons, I shall destroy Capital Planet, Tangea, Trade World, and Bathyos, thereby sending the Galactic Alliance into chaos. In the disorder, I shall take over the galaxy!!!"

During this monologue, XR had been surreptitiously rummaging around in his storage compartment, and now, he found what he was looking for.

"Well, thank you for that information, sir," XR said. "But, um, I really must be going."

A second later, he pulled the pin on the grenade in his hand and threw it at Zurg. The room was instantly full of tear gas, and XR made a dash for the door, slamming it shut behind him.

He leaned against the wall of the hallway for a moment, then said to himself, "Gotta find Mira, gotta find Rocket." XR took off down the corridor.

* * *

"Okay, guys, stay on your toes," Buzz said, easily slipping back into his usual air of authority. "One of Zurg's cronies could be behind any corner."

All the rangers suddenly let out a simultaneous yell of surprise as XR came whizzing around the corner and rammed into Buzz and Commander Nebula, knocking them to the ground. XR looked up with a sheepish grin on his golden face. "Hi, guys. Long time, no see."

"XR, what are you _doing?_" Mira asked. "Where's Rayvix?"

"Oh, um, kind've a funny story, really. We, uh, sort've got captured." He told them all that had happened, including a brief summary of Zurg's plan and an unnecessarily long and detailed description of his daring escape from the Evil Emperor's clutches.

As XR ended his oration, Commander Nebula said, "Well, what're we standing around here for? We got ourselves a galaxy to save!"

All the rangers exchanged knowing, determined glances, and they all moved in a purposeful direction towards Mission Control.


	10. Chapter 10

_**THIS is why I usually ONLY WRITE ONE-SHOTS. I am a procrastinator by nature, and I suffer from writer's block about 360 days out of every 365. But, FINAL CHAPTER UP. *exhales* I may never be able to watch another episode of BLoSC (which I don't own, by the way – see how nicely I fit the disclaimer in there?) again…**_

**~ 10 ~**

The rangers burst into Mission Control with guns a-blazing (all except for XR, who stayed behind the rest of the rangers, saying he was "back-up"). "Fun's over, Zurgie boy!" Nebula called out. "You've overstayed your welcome!"

Zurg leaped to his feet, outraged and more than a little startled by the rangers' sudden appearance. "How dare you come in and give me orders! Me, the soon-to-be ruler of the galaxy! Why, I-" His protests were cut short as Buzz fired a warning laser shot past his head.

With that, the battle began.

Buzz and the Commander immediately started fighting with Zurg. Mira launched herself at the nearest enemy, who turned out to be Torque and four of his clones. Booster appeared at her side, taking out three of the Torque clones with ease.

Rocket tried to seek out Mira, determined to watch her back during the fight, but he found himself grappling with Warp Darkmatter. "How ya doin', ranger?" Warp hissed, holding Rocket in a headlock.

Rocket elbowed Warp in the stomach and followed the blow with a punch to the jaw. As Warp stumbled backwards, Rocket took the opportunity to check on Mira. She was on the other side of Mission Control, her long red hair flying as she held her own against Torque and one of his clones with little effort. _That's my girl, _Rocket thought.

Warp recovered then and Rocket turned his attention back to the fighting.

Mira finished taking Torque down – _What a wuss_, she thought – and glanced around at the rest of the rangers. Buzz and the Commander had been doing well against Zurg, but Gravitina had stepped in to help her boss out and was giving the rangers a beating. As Mira tried to make her way towards them in the chaos, Gravitina slammed Buzz and the Commander together, knocking them out. "Run, sire!" she yelled at Zurg.

Zurg turned and fled the scene, with Gravitina covering his exit. Mira shouted at Booster to keep Gravitina distracted, and she took off after the emperor.

"You can run but you can't hide, Zurg!" Mira called as she pursued Zurg down the corridor. "Give it up!" Although her words were bold, her heart was pounding wildly – she was closing in on Zurg and actually had a chance to take him out.

They reached the docking bay. Zurg stood in the middle of the catwalk, and Mira approached slowly. "Okay, Zurg, I've got you cornered," she said, aiming her laser carefully at him. "You may as well give up."

"Not exactly my style, Princess," he said, pulling a blaster out of his robes.** (A/N – if ANYONE makes a "that's what she said" joke I will KEELHAUL them…)**

Mira dodged as Zurg fired and shot at him with her laser. He stepped out of the way, almost casually, and the shot hit the fuel tank on one of the starships.

A moment later, Star Command was rocked by the blast of the fuel tank exploding. Within seconds half the docking bay was on fire. _Ohhhh craters, _Mira thought, putting up her helmet to avoid breathing in the smoke. _This is so coming out of my paycheck._

Zurg's next shot hit Mira in the leg. She fell to her knees and scrambled backwards as Zurg came menacingly towards her. He grabbed her shoulder and made an effort to shove her off the edge of the catwalk, causing her helmet to hit the railing. The glass broke and smoke poured in through the crack.

Coughing, Mira kicked Zurg below the waist and had to laugh a little as he doubled over in pain.

"Find something amusing, Princess?" Zurg hissed. He grabbed her again and pushed her against the railing. Mira struggled but the smoke was beginning to choke her, dulling her senses. She knew she had only a few minutes left before she blacked out.

She broke free of Zurg and yelled into her wrist-com, "This is Ranger Nova! I have Zurg cornered in the docking bay, send reinforcements!" She had no idea if anyone had gotten the message but she hoped so. She couldn't keep Zurg here much longer, not by herself.

Mira's leg was killing her but she limped towards Zurg and blasted the gun out of his hand. "Give it up, pal," she rasped, coughing.

Zurg simply laughed and threw himself at her. His hands closed around her neck.

This time Mira was too weak to pull away. She sank to her knees and tried, in vain, the break Zurg's grip. The room started spinning around her. _Not good_, she thought. _Wish I'd had time to tell Rocket that I loved him._

It was funny that now, in her last moments of life, Mira finally admitted to herself that she'd fallen in love with Rocket. _Well it never would've worked out anyway,_ she told herself.

Mira was sure the end was close, but just before she lost consciousness she heard a familiar voice yell, "Get your hands off her, Zurg, or I will personally separate your head from the rest of your body." It was Rocket.

With a smile, Mira slipped into oblivion.

Mira slowly returned to consciousness. She found that she was lying in a bunk in the infirmary. She was glad to be alive.

She was also glad to see the person who was sitting in a chair at the side of the bunk. "Rocket," she croaked.

He smiled awkwardly. "Hey, Princess."

"Call me that again and I will take you down."

"Not in that condition you couldn't."

"Oh, really, Mr. Tough Guy." Mira started to sit up but Rocket held her down, saying, "You need rest.

Mira rolled her eyes. "How'd the battle turn out?"

"We got almost everyone in custody. Zurg kind've escaped . . ." Rocket looked sheepish. "Kind've my fault. I was more worried about you than I was about keeping an eye on him."

"Thanks for saving my life, by the way."

"Call it payback for Trade World."

Mira smiled. "So . . . you were that worried about me? You afraid that if I died it would get you into trouble with my dad?"

"That's not funny."

"Sorry. Seriously, though, you really were worried?"

"Extremely."

"Huh. Odd. Any particular reason for that?"

Rocket inhaled deeply. "Well, yes . . ." He paused. "Mira, I . . . I'm in love with you. That's it, pure and simple. I fell in love with you right before the mission started and I've been trying to keep it to myself but I can't hide it any longer. I know it'd never work out between us – we'd kill each other inside of a week – and there's the fact that you're a princess and all, but-"

"OK, first of all, enough with the princess stuff. Second – here's a secret." Mira propped herself up on her elbows, angled her head upwards, and kissed Rocket softly on the lips. "The secret is that I love you too."

Rocket looked at her in disbelief. "Are you serious? You aren't just saying that?"

"Honest and truly, I do," Mira said, smiling.

They kissed again.

"Our friends are never, ever going to believe this, y'know," Mira remarked. "Jeez, I don't even wanna KNOW how XR is gonna react . . ."

Rocket laughed. "Crazy, isn't it? The two people most deadset against liking each other, ending up like this? Still, I can't complain."

"Same. Now shut up and let the royalty rest."

Rocket grinned and kissed Mira's forehead. "Sleep well, my princess."


End file.
